Gov. Larry Rhoden said past decisions to reject federal funding is helping the state now.
Rhoden said for that reason the state is benefitting in many areas despite recent widespread federal cuts from the Trump Administration.
“We’ve positioned ourselves in South Dakota a lot better than a lot of other states have, and so I think we’ve got a lot of opportunity in South Dakota that you might not have in other states, as far as, even some of the steps that the Trump Administration has taken on cutting funding, federal funding," Rhoden said. "We’ve positioned ourselves better in South Dakota because more than any other state, we turned down some of the federal money that’s now being clawed back by the federal government."
Rhoden is referring to the Noem Administration passing on federal funding on multiple instances, including $70 million for energy and environmental programs.
South Dakota Searchlight reported last year Noem’s office rejected some federal dollars over the fear it would create long-term funding commitments for the state once they run out.
However, South Dakota is still expected to be hurt big by federal cuts, largely because 43% of the state’s budget is federally funded.
If federal Medicaid cuts go through, state lawmakers have indicated it would put a strain on South Dakota’s pocketbook.
